Evaluation of efficacy and safety of betahistine dihydrochloride in dogs with vestibular disturbances.

Abstract

Vestibular disease is in dogs and cats, and it may be the result of central or peripheral disease. The pathophysiology is unknown, however it can be related to an abnormal dynamic of endolymphatic fluid or neuritis of the vestibular portion of the VIII cranial nerve. The recovery of neurological sings is slow and, in chronic cases, the neurological deficits can be irreversible. The betahistine dihydrochloride is a drug used in humans with peripheral vestibular disorders and was used in four dogs with vestibular syndrome. The results showed clinical improvement in 7 to 10 days of treatment and completed recovery in 20 to 30 days. One year after the treatment, the dogs didn’t have recurrence of the syndrome. The use of betahistine dihydrochloride in dogs with peripheral vestibular syndrome shows rapid clinical recover, without laboratorial abnormalities or recurrence of the clinical signs.